Third of Wales’ birds are in decline

SNIP: A major report has found that one in three species of bird is in significant decline in Wales. The State of Birds in Wales study found farmland and woodland species were especially vulnerable, with the researchers identifying loss of habitat and climate change while urging urgent conservation action.

Patrick Lindley, Senior Ornithologist at Natural Resources Wales (NRW), said: “When we look at conservation urgency, we’ve probably never seen the like of this before in terms of what we need to do. It’s startling.”

Notable declines in the report included the extinction of breeding populations of Common Nightingale, Corn Bunting and Eurasian Dotterel. Common Starling declined by a massive 72 per cent between 1995 and 2016. Many threatened species that rely on farmland and moor habitat have also seen numbers crash: Black Grouse declined by 68 per cent, Red Grouse by 45 per cent, Northern Lapwing 46 per cent and Eurasian Curlew 39 per cent.

Neil Lambert, Head of Conservation Management for RSPB Cymru said: “With 90 per cent of Wales farmed, agricultural practices have a huge impact on birds and other wildlife.”